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Biomedical subjects

D C Britton

Publications and source records attributed to D C Britton.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Peripheral, mucosal, and tumour-infiltrating components of cellular immunity in cancer of the large bowel.

A reliable technique has been devised for the preparation of colorectal tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). The immune capacity of these lymphocytes has been assessed in vitro and compared with that of lymphocytes infiltrating the lamina propria of adjacent normal mucosa (LPL) and with autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Assay of a natural killer (NK) cell function revealed the absence of such activity in TIL and LPL depsite the presence of normal levels in PBL. Antibody-dependent (K cell) cytotoxic activity was also absent in TIL and LPL. Both TIL and LPL showed significant mitogen-induced cytotoxic responses, although higher levels were detected in PBL. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes revealed depressed levels of spontaneous DNA synthesis, but mitogen stimulation of TIL was equivalent to that of LPL. T-cell proportions in TIL preparations were equivalent to those in PBL, but LPL comprised significantly fewer T cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1980

Restorative surgery of the rectum with a circumferential stapler.

The results of rectal anastomoses produced with a circumferential stapling gun were compared with those of a conventional hand suturing technique in thirty patients undergoing colorectal anastomoses for carcinoma and diverticulitis. The main advantage of the stapler is in anastomoses low in the pelvis where it allows relatively easy access to the extra-peritoneal fraction of the rectum. When the stapling gun was used the mean distance of the anastomosis from the anal margin was less and the length of postoperative hospital stay was reduced. The incidence of complications associated with the anastomosis was similar for conventional suturing and stapling.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Isolation and purification of human large bowel mucosal lymphoid cells: effect of separation technique on functional characteristics.

Human large bowel lamina propria lymphoid cells have been isolated using both mechanical and enzymatic techniques. Their separation from other cell types after isolation was effected with greater efficiency by sedimentation on isokinetic gradients than by filtration through glass bead columns. After being purified, the capacity of the lamina propria lymphocytes to function in vitro as effector cells in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity was determined. Mechanical distruption of the mucosa gave low yields of lymphoid cells, which lacked the capacity for cytotoxicity. Enzymatic digestion of mucosal tissue, by comparison, yielded large numbers of viable lymphoid cells which retained a significant level of cytotoxic activity. Investigation revealed that mechanical homogenisation stimulated the synthesis of prostaglandin E2, and inhibitor studies showed that this mediator was responsible for the lack of cytotoxic activity in mechanically-liberated lymphocytes.

Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity↗
PubMed1977

Colonoscopy in surgical practice.

Colonoscopy is a rewarding new technique with a potential for early and more accurate diagnosis. One hundred and seventy colonoscopies carried out over the past three years showed or confirmed colonic cancer in 14 patients, and solitary or multiple colonic polyps were found in 28 cases, of which 18 were excised endoscopically. A large villous adenoma was diagnosed in one patient, and the absence of a suspected sinister lesion was shown by direct examination and biopsy in 110 cases. There were 17 examination failures, including two perforations of the bowel. Colonoscopy complements rather than supplants barium enema examination and will make diagnostic laparotomy for colonic lesions unnecessary. The use of the diathermy snare allows endoscopic removal of colonic polyps and should greatly reduce the need for formal surgery in these cases. The financial saving to the Health Service will greatly outweigh the expense of the procedure, but it should be undertaken only in well organised centres as a specialist service for selected patients. In skilled hands it is safe, but potential hazards exist for the inexperienced endoscopist.

Colon↗
PubMed1977

An in vivo stathmokinetic study of cell proliferation in human gastric carcinoma and gastric mucosa.

Cell production rates were studied in a group of eleven patients with carcinoma of the stomach using an in vivo technique with vincristine. In normal pyloric mucosa estimates ranged from 8 to 15 cells/1000 cells/hr, and in the carcinomas from 3 to 24 cells/1000 cells/hr. Because of the very large variation in the data, comparison between individual tumours and normal mucosa is not regarded as being worth-while at this stage. The implications of these results for previous human in vivo stathmokinetic experiments are also discussed.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1975

The removal of retained gallstones from the common bile duct: experience with sodium cholate infusion and the Burhenne catheter.

The use of cholic acid T tube infusion and of the Burhenne catheter has been investigated in the management of gallstones retained in the common bile duct following biliary surgery in 9 patients. Four of 7 patients treated with cholic acid infusion showed disappearance of the stones during treatment. The stones in a fifth subject were removed by a combination of cholic acid infusion (1 stone disappeared) and instrumentation with a Burhenne catheter (a second stone removed). Use of a Burhenne catheter was unsuccessful in 3 of 4 patients. Details of the technique of cholic acid infusion are given, and possible complications of the treatment are discussed. The use of cholic acid infusion for the dissolution of stones in the common bile duct is recommended.

Catheterization↗
PubMed1975

Measurement of cell production rates in human gastro-intestinal cancer--a guide to treatment?

Cell production rates were measured in 19 cases of rectal carcinoma and in 11 cases of gastric carcinoma using a stathmokinetic technique. These measurements were compared with results from normal rectal and gastric mucosa. It was found that most of the cases of rectal cancer were proliferating more slowly than morphologically normal rectal mucosa. This was true for the majority of gastric cancers, but a small proportion appeared to be proliferating more rapidly. These results are discussed with their relevance to appropriate therapy.

Biopsy↗